Get Smart...Be Prepared About
Medicare...Part Two of Eight
You may soon feel like you are the most
popular person on earth. Your mailbox may be overflowing, your phone ringing
more than usual and emails stacking up in your
inbox.
Not to burst your bubble, but it is Medicare Open Enrollment season. You have from October 15 to December 7 to change your Medicare coverage
for 2014 if you choose to.
You may get a lot of information during this time from
Medicare, private insurance companies and insurance agents. Some of it may be
relevant and helpful as you consider your Medicare choices. Some of it may seem
confusing.
Read on to learn what to look for—and what
to look out for—during Medicare Open
Enrollment.
Find the Information You
Need
The information you receive in the mail and from other
sources can be a valuable resource.
Specifically, you should receive a print or digital
copy of Medicare & You, which Medicare publishes
each year at the end of September. This publication outlines the benefits
offered by Original Medicare for the following year. It also explains any
changes that Medicare has made from the previous
year.
Medicare Advantage plans, which
are Medicare health plans offered by private companies contracted by Medicare,
must offer at least the same benefits as Original Medicare, although many offer
additional benefits as well.
You should do some research on your own,
too.
You can use Medicare’s
online Plan Finder tool to look up all the Medicare Advantage and
prescription drug plans offered by private companies where you live. These can
change from year to year.
A Word About Health Exchanges
The health insurance exchange,
which is formally called the Health Insurance Marketplace, is part of the
Affordable Care Act.
It allows individuals and small businesses to see and compare
the health insurance options available to them.
People receiving or eligible for Medicare
benefits are not affected by the Health Insurance Marketplace.
You will continue to get your health benefits from Original
Medicare or private Medicare plans, which are separate from the Health Insurance
Marketplace.
Take Charge of Your
Choices
Medicare Open Enrollment is for your
benefit, in spite of the information overload you may
experience.
Each year, you get this chance to choose the
coverage that you think best fits your needs. Yet more than
two-thirds of people surveyed in 2013 for the Medicare Made Clear Index
said they haven't shopped around for Medicare coverage in
over three years. At the same time, 35
percent said they were paying more than they
expected.
For a comprehensive
Medicare review and audit, please contact:
Gavin Walker
PH:
702-325-9585
EMAIL:
gavin@gavinlwalkerinc.com
Located inside Vons in Anthem...Tuesday, Thursday
and Saturday from 9:30am-2:00pm
Schedule a face to face meeting or just come by
with your questions.
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